The Message of the Cross (22) People without Salvation despite Their Confession of Faith in God
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October 18, 2020 |
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 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21).
“…There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (1 John 5:16).
In Matthew 25 we find a story of five “prudent” virgins who prepared “oil in flasks along with their lamps” and another five “foolish” virgins “took no oil with them.” At the arrival of the bridegroom was announced, the foolish virgins went to purchase oil but when they returned, the door to the wedding banquet had already been shut.
Here, the ten virgins signify all believers with hopes for Heaven and “the bridegroom” symbolizes Jesus Christ. The important lesson here is that of the ten, only the “prudent” five entered the wedding banquet and the rest could not. Like the latter five, some believers will not receive salvation. What kind of believers, among those who confess their faith in God, will fail to receive salvation and enter Heaven?
1. People Who Practice Lawlessness
Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
In the following Verses 22-23 Jesus continues: “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Even if people proclaim their faith in the Lord and perform miraculous acts, He will say, “I never knew you,” to all those “who practice lawlessness.”
At the end of the world?on the Day of Judgment?our Lord will set apart all the unrighteous who have practiced lawlessness and even caused others to falter, and throw them into the furnace of fire that is the punishment of Hell (Matthew 13:40-42).
What did Jesus mean by “lawlessness”? As 1 John 3:4 tells us, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness,” lawlessness, or sin, stems from disobeying the law of the truth, which is God’s Word itself. Lawless people are those who do the things that are forbidden in the Bible; those who do not cast off the things the Bible directs them to cast off; those who fail to do what the Bible prescribes for them to do; and those who do not keep or obey what the Bible commands them to keep or obey.
The Bible further elaborates on this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” Despite one’s confession of faith in the Lord, if he keeps practicing lawlessness without turning from sin, he will be unable to inherit Heaven and thus end up in Hell (Galatians 5:19-21).
Some of you may ask, “If a novice Christian told a lie and if he’s unable to receive salvation on account of that lie, how many people will actually receive salvation?” Of course, just because an individual has just accepted the Lord, it does not mean he is able to cast off all of his sins right away. Even if the person has not cast off all his sins, when he prays, makes every effort, and is transformed accordingly, God will recognize that effort alone to be the proof of faith worthy of salvation.
However, if the person does not even try to cast off sins but actually keeps on sinning and becomes even more drenched in worldly ways, his confession, “I believe,” becomes a lie.
2. People Who Commit Sins Leading to Death
1 John 5:16 reads, “…There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.”
We are to diligently encourage and pray for those who have committed sins that will not lead to death and help them turn away from sins but there are also other sins that lead to death. What kinds of sins, then, lead people to death?
In Matthew 12:31 Jesus reminds us explicitly, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven,” and again in Luke 12:10, “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”
“Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit” is to blasphemy against and label the Holy Spirit “the devil” or “Satan” and deeming the works of God as manifested by the Holy Spirit to be works of demons and Satan.
“Interfering with the Holy Spirit” is to prevent the works of God from taking place through one’s denial of God’s works from his own evil even after witnessing firsthand the works of the Holy Spirit.
For instance, spreading baseless rumors and making unfounded accusations by calling a congregation filled with the works of the Holy Spirit “heretic” or “in the wrong” is an act of “interfering with the Holy Spirit.” This is a truly grave and frightening sin for it is to challenge God the Creator interfering with and thwarting His kingdom from becoming fulfilled.
People who take this a step further and coming up with schemes and actually carrying them out, thereby intensifying of the blaspheming against the Holy Spirit will commit the sin of “speaking against the Holy Spirit.” Featured in Mark 3:20-30 is a scene in which the Jews blasphemy against, interfere with, and speak against the Holy Spirit. Among the people who had heard the news of Jesus, good people believed in Him and gave glory to God. Evil ones, however, were busy creating evil rumors and spread them and such an effort was spearheaded prominently by the scribes and the Pharisees who boasted their deep knowledge of the Scripture. They said, “He has lost His senses” and “He is possessed by Beelzebul.”
Jesus called them to Himself and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!” For there is a strict order even in the world of evil spirits, demons do not drive out from people other demons, and Satan does not drive out itself.
Furthermore, as Jesus continues in Verses 28-29, “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin,” how can someone receive salvation if he has blasphemed against, interfered with, and spoken against the works of God and called them “works of demons”?
God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever shows signs and wonders even today through people with whom He is pleased (John 4:48), and affirms His existence and presence through them. Therefore, you must not blaspheme against, interfere with, and speak against the Holy Spirit.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray in the name of the Lord that through this message you will come to fathom that one may not receive salvation despite his confession of faith in God, and one must stay clear off this path to death, and arrive safely at Heaven by taking the straight way!
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